The Years Before
by Saint11
Summary: Today was Ezra's second-least-favourite day, the anniversary of his best friend's presumed death, the only person to stick up for him before the crew. No one can get him to talk or come out of his room, except Sabine. Relive the fun times of the Lothalian duo as Ezra opens up to Sabine about his past.
1. Prologue

No one had seen Ezra for the whole day. The padawan had locked himself in his room, only coming out for a couple of minutes to bring his meals back into solitary confinement. The crew had tried at various times to draw him out, all to no avail.

* * *

"Kid if you don't get out I'll rip your arms out of their sockets." Zeb growled through the door. Of course, he didn't mean it. Playful violence was a common occurrence between them.

"I'm not in the mood. Go away." Ezra grumbled, which surprised Zeb.

* * *

"Ezra, honey, if you want to talk, I'm here." Hera cooed outside the door.

"No. I just need to be alone." Ezra whimpered back.

* * *

"Come out for some training and get your mind off things." Kanan offered.

"Don't feel like it." Ezra replied miserably.

* * *

All had been to help except Sabine, Ezra noted sadly. Maybe she didn't like him after all. Just as these thoughts ran through his head, there was a gentle knock on the door and a girl's voice.

"Ezra? Are you still up?"

His heart froze. It was Sabine. He wiped the tears from his eyes and replied in a strained voice.

"Yes."

"May I come in?" She prompted.

Ezra paused for a moment. "Yes." He replied decidedly.

The door hissed open and Sabine walked inside. She smiled warmly to Ezra and sat down on the edge of the bed next to him.

"What's wrong? How come you haven't come out all day?" She asked gently.

"It's nothing. Just something from my past." Ezra whimpered.

"Ezra, it helps to talk about it." Sabine gently urged.

"It's today. Two years ago today my best friend died right in front of me. The only person besides you guys to stick up for me." Ezra was overcome by a fresh wave of tears. Sabine gave him a sympathetic glance and waited until he was calm again.

"Tell me about this friend of yours."


	2. The Great Fruit Heist

"Ezra! Ezra! Wake up! We're gonna miss the fruit delivery!" Cody called from the door of the tower.

Ezra sat up and rubbed his sleepy eyes. His whole body protested, it wanted to sleep. But Ezra knew that securing a crate from this delivery was vital for their survival. The boy groaned as he stood and rolled up the patchy blanket that he had slept on, placing it on the counter. He retrieved his backpack that contained all of the essentials, attached his energy sling onto his wrist, and joined Cody at the door.

The two boys exited the tower and shut the door. There was no need to lock it, people rarely ventured this far from the city and the tower was run-down and abandoned as far as they were concerned. They slid down the ladder and landed on the soft ground with a dull thud before breaking into a sprint towards Capital City.

It didn't take long to reach their destination. Markets were beginning to shed their protective cloths and the residents were emerging from their houses to start another day. Imperial patrols were also well underway, but they paid little attention to the boys. In their eyes, they saw one boy with ear length black hair, electric blue eyes and an orange jumpsuit, and another with shorter dark brown hair, brown eyes and dark green clothes. Because of this, Ezra and Cody were able to walk straight up to the delivery transport and begin their routine.

Ezra walked up to one of the men unloading crates of yogans and spoke to him.

"Excuse me sir, would you happen to know the way to the Imperial Academy?" Ezra began nervously.

"Ah, a young cadet." The man smiled. "My son was a cadet. What squad are you with?"

"You see sir," Ezra pulled out a pamphlet and gestured, dropping it on purpose behind the man. "Oh I'm so sorry." Ezra bent down and picked it up, subtly knocking a crate, still held up by its repulsorlift, several metres away from the vehicle. "Oh no, I'll get it."

Ezra started towards the crate but the man grabbed his shoulder and laughed. "Don't worry young man, I'll grab it later. Now, for your directions."

Whilst Ezra was being directed, Cody pried the lid off the crate gently and began depositing armfuls of yogans into his bag. Once he had filled it to the brim, he gestured to Ezra, replaced the lid, and fled to a stall across the marketplace. The other boy got the message and finished his conversation.

"…And then finally, you make a right here." The man gestured to the map.

"Thanks so much. Sorry to bother you, it's my first day. My parents just moved here and enrolled me."

"Good luck young lad. Do your Empire proud." The man encouraged and moved to retrieve the crate.

Ezra walked over to Cody as his friend filled him in on the amount of yogans they had stolen, or "liberated," they preferred to say. The boys left swiftly before any of the men could realise that they were missing half a crate of yogans, walking casually towards the exit of the city so they wouldn't attract any attention from Imperial patrols. If they were searched, the stormtroopers would immediately assume theft with two boys carrying a pack full of fruit. They reached the tower just before noon, climbing up the ladder and sitting on the edge of the platform, legs dangling over the side.

Cody slung his backpack off his shoulders and produced two yogans, handing one to Ezra and setting his pack down behind him.

"To freedom." Ezra raised his yogan in a mock toast.

"To freedom." Cody met Ezra's yogan with a gentle tap and the two friends devoured their meal hungrily.


	3. Helmet Collection

"Good pickings out here today." Ezra observed as he surveyed the plains for other damaged ships. "To your right, just below the horizon."

He broke into a run, pulling his best friend after him, towards the site of the newly discovered wreckage. It was only midday and they had successfully salvaged technology for the black market from six separate wreckages. This was the seventh and they were set to call it a day afterwards.

"Did you hear why there are so many ships around today?" Cody asked Ezra between ragged breaths.

"Yeah. That rebel cell keeps shooting down TIEs." Ezra replied.

"Must feel good to put a dent in the Empire." Cody fantasised.

They reached the downed ship shortly after and carefully circled it, checking for any Imperial personnel or dangerous parts. Once they were satisfied that the ship would not explode on them, Cody placed the backpack of parts on the ground and the two boys leapt on top of the cabin.

"On 3." Ezra instructed, gripping the edge of the entrance. "1… 2… 3!"

They heaved and the door opened with a groan of protest, emitting a large cloud of smoke. Ezra cautiously dropped inside and motioned for Cody to follow once he had scouted the interior for further danger. His friend deftly landed inside and began to thoroughly examine the many consoles. Leaning over the pilot's chair, he gripped a lever and turned it before ripping the whole piece from its slot. A cylindrical device slid smoothly from the hole and Cody studied it for defects.

"What is it?" Ezra probed.

"Signal dampener. Undamaged." Cody reported.

"We could pass it off as new." Ezra suggested hopefully, jumping at the chance of a higher payout.

"Maybe. Could be risky, though." Cody reminded his friend. They knew firsthand what people did to those who lied about the condition of items.

Cody swung his backpack around and lifted the flap, placing the dampener inside. Meanwhile, Ezra ducked under the console and retrieved a large, black object.

"Yes! First one today!" He cheered, brandishing the helmet for Cody to see.

"What's that? Your fifth overall?" Cody confirmed.

"Yeah!" Ezra replied excitedly. He had taken a liking to the various Imperial helmets found inside the stricken crafts.

"You should really start a collection." Cody suggested.

"That would be awesome!" Ezra's eyes lit up at the prospect.

Cody placed his pack down on the ground as something next to the pilot's chair caught his eye. He bent down, flipped a safety switch and ejected a small, handheld blaster from the holster. He called to his friend busily exploring his new helmet.

"Ezra! Look here!"

Ezra peered over the seat. "Is that what I think it is?"

"It's a blaster!" Cody explained. "Do you know how rare this is? Their power cells normally fry from the internal damage and they explode!"

"Does it work?" Ezra hummed, eyes fixed on the weapon.

Cody aimed it towards the sky and pulled the trigger. A bright red bolt was propelled from the nozzle with a loud pop.

"Works like a charm." Cody smiled.

"Well let's get back to the city before the black market closes." Ezra prompted as Cody stood and replaced his pack on his shoulders.

Ezra grabbed the edge of the cockpit and hauled himself out. Once he was on the top, he turned and offered a hand to Cody, who took it and followed his friend up. They jumped nimbly from the vehicle and walked back towards the city. The duo almost looked like they were going into battle. Cody had the pistol holstered on his belt and Ezra had his helmet tucked under his arm. They marched in companionable silence, their brains working overtime, thinking of the different prices they could possible fetch for their items.

* * *

Hey guys! thanks for reading. Please suggest any scenarios you want to see and I'll do my best to make it happen :)

~Saint


	4. A Bit of Fun

Fun moments were few and far between for Cody and Ezra. They often worked around the clock to gather essentials for survival and help other people in need. It was a selfless life being lived by boys who deserved a little selfishness.

* * *

Ezra kicked a small rock idly down the street as he walked abreast with Cody towards their tower. It was still early afternoon, giving them a few hours before sunset.

"Is everything done for the day?" Ezra quizzed Cody.

"Hmmm…" Cody hummed, scanning the list in his hands. "We've got the fruit, fixed the tower door, traded in the junk at the black market and replaced the filament in the light. That's everything."

"We've really done everything?" Ezra sounded surprised.

"Yep." Cody affirmed.

"Up for some dodgeball?" Ezra smiled excitedly.

"You know me too well." Cody grinned.

They quickened their pace and broke into a full sprint once the Capital City was behind them, stopping swiftly at the tower to drop their belongings, before turning and hurrying back to the town. The boys easily navigated the densely packed streets until they came to an abandoned house, with windows boarded and official Imperial "Keep Out" sings plastered over the entrance.

Ezra and Cody heaved the door open and slipped inside, covering their exit before curious onlookers could follow. The duo skipped the cover from the manhole in the floor and stepped delicately down the ladder until they reached a vast, open room.

"Cody! Ezra! It's been ages since you guys were last down here!" A male voice exclaimed.

"We were beginning to think you guys had left!" A female voice chipped in.

"Hey! You're back!" Another female voice added.

"Erin! Hannah! Miles!" The boys chorused as the other three embraced them.

They pulled apart and took in each other's looks. Erin hadn't changed; she still sported her long, brown hair and green eyes. Miles was a bit taller, but still had an unmistakable mop of blonde hair. Hannah, the boys noticed, had gone from blonde hair to black hair.

"Hannah, your hair is different." Ezra smiled.

"I found a box of dye in a shipment from the general store. I liked the colour so I used it!" She beamed.

"Enough with the flirting." Erin laughed. "We gonna play or not?"

"Yeah!"

Ezra and Cody stood opposite to the others, both groups with their backs against the wall. A ball was placed in the middle and both teams were to sprint for it when the holoclock reach the next minute. Ten… Nine… Eight… Seven… Six… Five… Four… Three… Two… One!

Both teams sprinted for the objective in the centre with all their energy. Miles slid in and secured the ball just before Cody could make it. The other teams desperately back peddled to avoid being it. Miles launched the ball towards Ezra, who ducked as it sailed past and slammed harmlessly into the back wall. Cody retrieved it and hurled it back at Miles, who couldn't dodge in time and was out. Two on two.

Hannah pegged the ball back at the other team and caught Cody in the leg, advantage to them. Ezra retrieved the ball and avenged his teammate by getting Hannah out. Erin threw the ball at Ezra, who tried a desperate diving catch to get her out. The ball landed between his hands as he secured it and hit the floor… Only for it to slip out, meaning he was out and the other team won. He stood and they all met in the centre.

"New teams?" Miles offered.

The group played game after game, until someone noticed the time. It was almost sunset as they left the den and parted ways at the front door.

"See you around!" Cody called.

"Come again tomorrow!" Erin returned.

Cody waved and turned to address Ezra personally.

"I haven't had that much fun in ages!" He chorused excitedly.

"Yeah, it really has been a long time since we played." Ezra agreed.

The boys walked through the town in the dying light. People were beginning to enter their homes, markets were dragging protective covers over their merchandise, and shops were locking their doors. They remained in companionable silence until they reached the top of the tower.

"What's for dinner?" Ezra asked.

"Guess." Cody replied as he stepped up from the ladder.

"Yogan?" Ezra tried wearily.

"Yogan." Cody laughed at his friend.


	5. Street Challenges

"Hey Ezra." Cody whispered from behind a crate.

"Yeah, what?" Ezra replied.

"I've got a challenge for you." Cody grinned evilly.

"What is it?" Ezra questioned suspiciously.

"Well, see those two officers over there?" Cody suppressed a laugh.

"…Yeah?" Ezra acknowledged almost fearfully.

"We see who can pickpocket the most from them!" Cody exclaimed.

"You're on." Ezra said determinedly.

They peered over the crates at the two officers speaking and gesturing to a datapad. Ezra decided to go first, and, scouting the thin officer with dark hair and a grey cap, made his move. The boy walked confusedly up to him and tapped him on the shoulder, but not before swiping the comm from his belt. The office turned and eyed the child with an inferior stare, before speaking with a self-obsessed tone.

"Why are you bothering me, child?"

"Hey, ah, sorry sir, just wondering where the academy is. See, it's my first day." Ezra replied innocently.

"Classic approach." Cody breathed quietly from behind the crates, nodding his head in approval.

The officer straightened but maintained his glare. "It's over there, three blocks to the right."

"Oh, and-" Ezra began, before dropping his backpack at the feet of the officer. He bent down to pick it up, moving behind him to steal the datachip in his left pocket but still pretending to gather his belongings.

He stood, slinging the pack over his back and addressing the officer. "Thank you very much."

Ezra extended his hand and the officer took it suspiciously in a handshake, whilst the boy quickly unbuckled his watch and deftly caught it. He retreated back to his friend behind the crate and bragged about his achievement.

"Three! Let's see you do that." Ezra boasted.

Cody smiled, stood, and walked over to the other officer, who was stocky, had black stubble and a similar grey cap. The boy slipped a hand onto his belt and unclipped a torch, before dropping it on the ground with a loud crash. The body split open and the man turned angrily.

"Hey! Thief! Stay right there!" He roared, attracting attention from several troopers and his slim counterpart.

He made a swipe out of rage for Cody, who swayed back easily, pivoted on his heel, and took off, with Ezra joining him on the way past the crates.

"Stop right there!" One of the troopers called desperately.

The boys increased the gap between the troopers, who had not resulted to shooting at them yet. Ezra spoke in an annoyed tone to his friend.

"That was classy." He quipped sarcastically.

"Jeez, sorry. It happens sometimes." Cody replied innocently.

"Sometimes isn't gonna cut it kid." Ezra teased.

"Hey, don't call me that." Cody huffed.

"Next building." Ezra gestured to a shopfront on their left.

They veered off the street, vaulting off the shopfront, much to the dismay of the owner, and onto the roof, where they continued their escape until they were sure the troopers had lost them.

"It'd be best to keep our heads down for a couple of days after this." Cody suggested sheepishly.

"Yeah, no thanks to you." Ezra replied in mock anger.

"Look, I'm sorry." Cody tried.

Ezra couldn't help a smile break out on his face. "I'm just teasing you." He laughed.

"Hey!" Cody frowned.

Ezra grabbed his friend in a weak headlock and began to drag him towards another district of the Capital City.

"Can't go without lunch, right?"

* * *

I apologies for not uploading for a couple of days, I was watching the Euros with my friends. There won't be an upload tomorrow as I'm at my mates for most of the day and the night plus some of the next day. Thanks for all the support :) and feel free to suggest new chapters. I'm working on the last one so there will probably be 2-4 more between then.

~Saint


	6. A Loss of Trust

Many restaurants and cafés on Lothal refused to serve street urchins, a practice Ezra and Cody were no strangers to. They had been kicked out of the premises and had stormtrooper guards called on them more times than they cared to remember. Today, though, they had been left in peace outside a quiet café, sitting back against the wall, knees tucked into their chests, waiting for the garbage bags to be thrown out.

Ezra opened his mouth to speak just as the door swung open with a groan of protest and a barrage of bags were ejected into the general area of the bin. The boys waited until the door closed so they wouldn't be seen, and stood hurriedly to examine the contents of the bags when a voice stopped them.

"Are you going to have all of them?"

Cody and Ezra's heads snapped up at the sound and spun quickly to face the person. Upon examination, he was a short kid who looked around their age. He had long brown hair that was pulled down in a fringe over his eyes, with several blonde streaks. The boy had sharp, green eyes and was pale skinned.

"Uh, I guess not." Ezra offered unsurely.

"Anyway, no matter. I know a place where street rats like us can find a good feast." He smiled eagerly.

"Where is that?" Ezra asked skeptically.

"In some of the abandoned houses. You'd be surprised how many of them have stocked cupboards." He continued with excitement.

"Well can you show us?" Ezra requested.

"Sure!" He exclaimed, leading them off.

* * *

The arrived at a disheveled old house several minutes later. The boy walked forward and pushed the creaky door open so they could get inside. The interior was dimly lit and was populated with simple furniture. He strode towards the cupboard, pulled a chair out, stood on it, opened the cupboard, and threw a bag of dried rations to them.

"Plenty more where that came from." He announced proudly. "But first, tell me, is this you guys?" He held up a wanted poster with both of their faces on it for several petty crimes against Imperial personnel.

"Unfortunately." Ezra sighed.

"Good." He smiled thinly, which made Ezra and Cody confused.

"They're here." He called out.

The door was knocked off its hinges and several stormtroopers filed into the building, blocking all exits and creating a circle around the boys. They threw the brown haired minion a bag of credits.

"Knew street rats were good for something." The commander chuckled. "Stay where you are."

Cody and Ezra were speechless. They had been betrayed by one of their own kind. The kid sprinted out of the door and down the road with his reward. As the troopers began to advance on the boys, their minds clocked into overtime, thinking about any possible escape.

"Empty your pockets." The trooper commanded.

The boys obliged, dropping their belongings onto the floor.

"Pick it up." He shoved Cody to the ground, making Ezra's blood boil in anger.

Cody stood up with the items and kicked a loose chair towards the troopers, causing the commander and a couple of others to sprawl on the floor. They took the chance to escape, rushing down the hall to where the other troopers were. Cody leapt forward and tackled one to the ground so Ezra could get out.

"Go! I'll be out in a second!" Cody shouted. Ezra sprinted through the door and turned.

Troopers began to flood through to doors out onto the street. Ezra, who was hiding behind a small wall, heard a pair of troopers talking.

"What do we do? Some of ours are still in there?" The lieutenant questioned.

"Blow it. We may never see them again." The commander ordered as Ezra's insides were sucked into a black hole.

The lieutenant pulled out two detonators and rolled them into the building, after several beeps they exploded and the whole structure collapsed. Ezra heard his friend cry out before it.

"Ezra!"

That cry would stay with him forever.

* * *

Ezra was sitting on a stool in his tower, head in his hands, thinking about how he all but abandoned his best friend. There was a gentle knock at the door. He didn't care who it was when he heard footsteps inside coming towards him. No one else would come in, he knew it was Miles, Hannah and Erin.

"We heard about today, are you alright? Where's Cody?" Hannah asked gently.

Ezra looked up at her and his tear-stained cheeks said all that she feared.

"No, please tell me he's not…" She replied as a wave of tears washed over everyone.

They had lost a friend today.

* * *

The next chapter is the end and will take place in Ezra's room, basically a continuation of the first one. Thanks for the support on this book :) And notice how I didn't outrightly kill Cody, he may be alive somewhere... But that's another story for another day ;)

~Saint


	7. Epilogue

"He sounds like quite a guy." Sabine commented, almost in tears herself.

"He was the only one, Sabine, and ended up being another digit on the Imperial death counter." Ezra wept.

Sabine felt the time was right. She pulled Ezra into a hug. He stiffened at first, but leant into the embrace. The Mandalorian felt her eyes stinging and soon a tear slid down her cheek, for Ezra and for Cody. After a while, she let him go.

"Thanks, I- I needed that." Ezra smiled weekly.

"Ezra, we're always here for you." She laid a hand on his shoulder and gently guided his body to face her. "Just like Cody before us."

"I wish he was here to see this Rebellion, he would've loved it." Ezra reminisced.

"I'm sure he would've joined right in. There are very few people brave enough to give their life for a friend's. On Mandalore, it's considered the most noble way to die, a hero's death." Sabine soothed. "I bet you're hungry, let's go get some food."

They stood and walked out of the door and down to the kitchen.

"Ezra! You're up. What was the-" Kanan began, only to be silenced discreetly by Sabine.

"Not now, it's about an old friend." She whispered to the Jedi, who nodded understandingly.

Ezra was leaning idly against the kitchen bench when Sabine walked in. She went purposefully to the fridge and poured two glasses of blue milk and handed one to Ezra. He stood there with the glass in his hand, clearly deep in thought, but was ripped out of it by Sabine's next words.

"To Cody?" She whispered softly, raising her glass half way.

Ezra smiled. "To Cody." He met her glass gently in the middle and took a deep draught of the refreshing beverage.

* * *

It's a wrap! I wanted to get this out tonight because it was easy to write and I kept you hanging for a week because I was trying to prestige again in COD. I also wanted to finish it because it is better for me and you if I work on one story at a time. Artist & Lothrat will be never ending, as new ideas come, new ideas will be published, especially with all the S3 inspiration. As for now, I want to work more on Ghost Recovery, but the next chapters will be posted sporadically. Thanks for the great reception this book had :)

~Saint


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